Time and time again, we are told that Satan is a defeated enemy. Sometimes the phrase “He just doesn’t know it yet” is tacked on with a laugh.
But is this true? Or have we been given false enemy intel on the enemy?
Imagine your social media feed is on fire over the latest must-see romantic movie. Everyone you know is talking about how the prince slays a dragon and rescues a damsel locked in a tower. If you’re a girl, all your friends who have already seen it swear up and down that it’s the best movie ever and that you’ve just gotta see it. If you’re a guy, your significant other is begging you to take her to the theater or snuggle up for an evening of On Demand.
You watch the movie with high expectations, but when the movie ends, the dragon has not been slain.
In fact, the damsel is trapped in the dragon’s lair.
And she must always be on her guard because the dragon is trying to devour her!
At first, you might think you went to the wrong movie. But after Google confirms it was the right one, you would likely feel deceived by the “false advertising” on social media.
But this is the way Christianity is advertised.
The Prince (Jesus) leaves his throne (heaven) to become a mortal so he can slay the dragon (defeat Satan) by rescuing the damsel (dying on the cross) who was trapped in a tower (sin).
But Satan was not defeated at the cross.
This world is still under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19).
Satan is still the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4).
Satan is prowling around looking for Christians to devour (1 Pet. 5:8).
Those verses do not describe a defeated enemy.
Satan has power, authority, and freedom—all things a defeated enemy is deprived of.
Satan would love nothing more than for us to believe that he’s been defeated and is no longer a threat. What better way to get us to lower our guard so he can devour us? Or that we are invincible in Jesus as though the armor of God is permanently infused on the Christian and they don’t have to “take it up” or “put it on” (Eph. 6:11 &13).
Since we are the damsel living in the undefeated dragon’s lair (this world), and the dragon is actively attempting to devour us, we had best take God’s advice to put on armor seriously!
So where did this idea that Satan was defeated on the cross come from? I believe it stems from misunderstanding the following two Bible verses.
Misunderstood Verse #1: Jesus Overcame the World
The first verse that I believe has led to the false intel that Satan was defeated on the cross is John 16:33. Shortly before his death, Jesus warns his disciples that “the ruler of this world approaches.”
He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father . . . In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 14:30-31; 16:33).
Synonyms for “overcome” include conquered, overpowered, and defeated. And indeed, elsewhere in scripture the Greek word translated here as overcome (νικάω)is correctly translated “conquered” (Rev. 6:2, 13:7, ESV, NLT, NIV).
However, νικάω also has a different definition. And that definition, John uses many, many times. Talking of capture believes, Revelation 12:11 says, “They (the Christians) overcame him (the antichrist).” The ESV says conquered, the NLT says defeated, and the NIV says triumphed over.
So these captured Christians conquer, defeat, and triumph over the antichrist.
Do these Christians conquer the antichrist and confiscate his weapons? Do they defeat the antichrist in battle? Do they overthrow his army?
No, they are beheaded.
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die (Rev 12:11, NLT).
Their willingness to die in obedience to God is called νικάω, translated overcome.
This is precisely what Jesus did.
He [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Phil. 2:8, NIV)
On the cross, Jesus did not overthrow Satan as the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). He did not conquer him and imprison him in Gehenna so that he was no longer free to devour people. And He did not defeat him and take control of the world (in fact, scripture specifically that this world will not be subject to God until after death itself is destroyed, c.f. 1 Cor. 15:25-28).
On the cross, Jesus overcame Satan by his willingness to die in obedience to God, just as future Christians will overcome the antichrist by their willingness to die in obedience to God.
Imagine that the damsel in the falsely advertised must-see movie truly believes the dragon is defeated. Does she really understand what it means to live in the dragon’s lair. Will she bother to put on the armor the Prince left for her? If she does wear it, does she wear it for protection, or does she think of it as mere “spiritual blessing apparel” that helps her deepen her relationship with him while she awaits his return?
The armor of God isn’t optional attire for the Christian who wants to score a few bonus points. Both Paul and Peter are desperately trying to warn Christians that Satan, rather than a defeated enemy, is an enemy on the prowl and free to devour all those not on their guard. If we want to survive the battle, if we want to be found standing when the smoke clears, we must “take up” and “put on” the protection God has given us.
Misunderstood Verse #2: Jesus Triumphed over Satan
The second verse that I believe has led to the false intel that Satan was defeated on the cross was peened by the apostle Paul to the church at Colossae. Referring to Satan and his minions as “powers and authorities,” Paul writes:
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them (shamed them), triumphing over them by the cross (Col. 2:15).
In the first Shrek film, Princess Fiona is locked in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. The dragon has one job—to ensure no one rescues her.
But the unlikely hero Shrek manages to get passed the dragon and successfully rescues the princess. In essence, Shrek disarms the dragon and makes a spectacle of it (shames it), by triumphantly getting what he, Shrek, was after that the dragon did not want him to have.
Ironically, when Fiona finds out, she exclaims, “You didn’t slay the dragon?!?!”
Shrek responds, “It’s on my to-do list!”
Slaying the dragon—defeating Satan—is on Jesus’ to-do list. The day will come when Satan is cast into Gehenna, the prison that was created for him and all his demons (Matt. 25:41). Jesus will eradicate all Satan’s handiwork—death, suffering, disease, violence, and evil. And He will give all authority of this world to God (1 Cor. 15:25-28).
So one day Satan will be defeated, but in the words of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, “this is not that day.”
Jesus did indeed free the damsel (us) from the tower (sin), and put the dragon to shame by snatching us right out from under his nose. But putting Satan to shame and triumphing over him by getting what he had been guarding (souls enslaved to sin) is not the same as defeating him.
A defeated enemy does not have power, authority, and freedom—and Satan has all three.
Satan is not (yet) a defeated enemy: Conclusion
While he may not have been defeated on the cross, Satan was disarmed. The difference is a powerful victory in its own right, and crucial for levelling up your armor of God. So be sure to check out the post, Defeated vs. Disarmed: Why Jesus is the Only Way. And for more information on false enemy intel, check out 5 Lies Most Christians Believe.
